London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

City of Westminster 1931

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]

This page requires JavaScript

67
Disinfection.— Disinfection of rooms from which patients suffering from
notifiable infectious disease have been removed is carried out by means of
the formaldehyde spray. For other non-notifiable infectious conditions
disinfection is carried out on request, and a charge is made according to
the circumstances of the case.
Bedding and wearing apparel are removed to the Disinfecting
Station, and are there submitted to steam disinfection. Books are
treated with formalin.
The cleansing of persons and disinfection of clothing, etc., in a
verminous state are carried out by the Disinfecting Staff. Visits were
paid to 85 houses, and 6,318 articles of clothing, bedding, etc., were
removed for disinfection. Individuals, numbering 374 men and 25
women, and 9 children under school age, were given medicated baths at
the Disinfecting Station, making 408 attendances.
Notices from the London County Council in regard to school children
affected with vermin numbered 53. The Disinfecting Superintendent
and the Sanitary Inspectors paid 159 visits of investigation to their homes.
By agreement with the London County Council, arrangements are in
force for the treatment at the Westminster Disinfecting Station of school
children from the boroughs of Battersea, Chelsea, Holborn, Kensington,
Lambeth, Paddington, St. Pancras, St. Marylebone, Fulham, and the
City of London.
Among Westminster school children there were treated 379 cases of
head lice, and 40 of scabies. In all these cases, the clothing was
disinfected, together with the bedding from their homes, amounting in
all to 1,334 articles. Children from the above-mentioned boroughs
treated for similar conditions were as follows: 124 for head lice, 3
for body lice and 31 for scabies. The number of attendances of these
children for baths at the station was 1,246.
The following table shows the total number of individuals treated
at the station for verminous conditions:—

Table XIII.

1931.Head lice.Body lice.Scabies.Total.
Children (including those under school age).503380586
Adults36831399
503371111985